


down on the ground

by romanticallyinept



Series: 100 Songs for Overwatch [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Forgiveness, Genji is at peace, Hanzo Angst, Japanese Culture, M/M, Post-Omnic Crisis, Rituals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 07:50:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13899588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticallyinept/pseuds/romanticallyinept
Summary: “You have been asking to be purified,” Genji says, setting the bowl aside. “Begging the spirits to forgive you. Stopasking, anija. “





	down on the ground

Genji knows there is someone in his quarters the moment he crosses the threshold. But no shadowed form comes leaping out of the darkness, and Genji sees no blade glinting in the corner of his eye, so for the moment, he ignores the presence he feels and instead begins to make tea. The process is ritualistic and calming, centering him in preparation for whatever mess the stranger in his home is about to make him deal with.

Tea made, Genji holds the mug with his cybernetic hand as he moves through the rest of the house. Doors are open, the rugs on the floor are askew - the intruder, whoever they are, has not tried to hide their presence. So Genji follows the disorderly trail as it leads him towards the _kamidana_ , the small shrine he keeps in his quarters. Around the corner, the _kamidana_ sits high on the wall, and under it kneels his brother.

Hanzo is naked, save for a loincloth around his waist and a small, thin headband around his forehead. His hands are laced behind his back and his head is bowed, but Genji’s eyes are drawn to Hanzo’s skin, his hair - his brother is soaking wet, beads of water dripping down over his face and arms while he kneels, shivering.

Turning, Genji sets his tea down on a nearby bookshelf before lifting his katana, sheath and all, off his back. His mask goes next, placed on the shelf almost reverently. And then he turns back to his brother, taking a moment to breathe deeply before he speaks.

“I do not remember hypothermia being part of the ritual, brother.”

At his words, Hanzo’s shivering becomes more pronounced, like he himself hadn’t realized he was doing it until Genji mentioned it. The house is cold - Genji has no need to heat it - and Hanzo is only human.

His brother’s laugh is quiet, shaky. He doesn’t reply for a long moment, but Genji waits, patient, waiting for Hanzo’s need to speak to override whatever it is keeping him quiet. And, eventually, Hanzo’s shoulders rise as he inhales deeply, pausing before he finally speaks.

“I have been purifying myself, practicing _misogi_ , for years,” Hanzo says, voice strained. “And yet evil still resides within me.”

_Evil_ , Genji thinks, is a strong word for it, but no one has ever been harder on Hanzo than he is on himself. But Genji understands; a guilty soul is the heaviest load one can carry, and Hanzo’s guilt is painfully apparent. 

Turning, Genji walks down the hall to the bathroom, leaving Hanzo shivering in the hallway. There, he takes a small bowl out of the cupboard and fills it with ice-cold water. What he is about to do is a bastardization of _misogi_ , something that, in his old life, would have earned him a scolding from the clan elders. But, now, he believes it’s exactly what his brother needs.

Returning to the hall, he pauses, glancing down at Hanzo’s form. The older man has not moved, and goosebumps have formed on his skin, the shivering well and truly out of his control, now. A few more minutes, and Genji will have his brother wrapped up in warm blankets, but first…

Reaching up, Genji upends the bowl of water over Hanzo’s head. The cold water shocks him, drawing a gasp deep from inside his brother’s chest, but true to form, Hanzo does not move. Trembling violently, he remains kneeling, head bowed as water cascades down his back. 

“You have been asking to be purified,” Genji says, setting the bowl aside. “Begging the spirits to forgive you. Stop _asking, anija_."

Genji expects the confused look Hanzo gives him, his eyes dark and wide and oh so open, revealing every ounce of guilt and exhaustion and emotion within them. “ _Anata wa kiyome rarete iru_ ,” Genji murmurs, his metal hand coming up to gently cup Hanzo’s cheek. “You are forgiven, _anija_.”

A moment later, the full weight of Hanzo’s body collapses against his legs, and Genji allows himself to stroke his brother’s hair while he sobs.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Lupe Fiasco's "Battle Scars"
> 
> Kamidana - household Shinto shrine  
> Misogi - a Japanese purification ritual involving dousing oneself with water  
> Anija - older brother  
> Anata wa kiyome rarete iru - you are cleansed


End file.
